Alex Bregman’s return from the injured list earlier Friday gave the Boston Red Sox a boost, but Ceddanne Rafaela provided the biggest.

Rafaela’s walk-off, two-run home run helped the Red Sox overcome a 4-1 deficit and beat Tampa Bay 5-4, setting up the opportunity for a third straight win to begin a four-game series against the American League East rival Rays on Saturday afternoon.

Rafaela, a 24-year-old center fielder, was not the only Red Sox youngster to make an impact on the big win, though, as 22-year-old Marcelo Mayer had a key double and Roman Anthony, 21, walked to set up Rafaela’s heroics.

“It was Marcelo, Roman and Rafaela,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “The future of this organization is bright. The present is bright, too.”

Bregman, playing in his first game since May 24, went 1-for-4 with a double. He had been out because of a quad strain.

Bregman and Boston will look to continue the team’s run — the longest active win streak in MLB at eight games — as left-hander Garrett Crochet (9-4, 2.39 ERA) makes his final start before the All-Star break and his first career start against Tampa Bay on Saturday. The All-Star has struck out at least seven batters in each of his last eight outings, giving him 151 in 120 1/3 innings this season.

Crochet worked through allowing nine hits to pitch five innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts in last Sunday’s series-sweeping 6-4 win over the Washington Nationals.

The 26-year-old earned his second straight All-Star selection, but it was announced Friday that he would not pitch in next Tuesday’s game in Atlanta due to a heavy workload.

“No need to … throw in a game that doesn’t affect our team,” he said. “It’s an unnecessary risk. It’s a huge honor to be invited. … But this year … it would be selfish, in a way, to the team. I want to come back from the break ready to throw another 60, 70 innings.”

It is an opportune time, though for a Crochet start for the Red Sox — who are in third place in the American League East — because Hunter Dobbins exited after just 1 2/3 innings Friday due to right knee pain.

Friday’s game marked the second straight in which the Rays’ bullpen lost a lead, as three unearned runs in the third inning broke open a 1-1 game. Their five blown saves this month are the most in MLB, with newcomer Bryan Baker and Pete Fairbanks taking the losses thus far in Boston.

Despite the loss, All-Star Jonathan Aranda and Jake Mangum recorded multiple hits apiece. Aranda is on a seven-game hitting streak.

“It’s too much if I look back to the past — it’s been a long journey,” Aranda said this week. “But now being named an All-Star, it’s something that I will always be grateful for. And I’m just going to enjoy the moment.”

Tampa Bay right-hander Shane Baz (8-4, 4.34 ERA) will look to remain unbeaten against the Red Sox in his career, as he is 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA in four starts. In this season’s head-to-head series, he struck out 11 in six innings of two-hit ball on April 14 (a 16-1 Rays win) before taking no-decision on June 9, an eventual 10-8 Rays victory.

Baz has thrown three straight quality starts, including striking out seven while getting tagged for three runs on seven hits by the Detroit Tigers in a 5-1 loss on Monday.

Baz has walked just four batters over his last three starts combined after issuing four walks in each of the previous two.

“So the commitment to the strike zone for Shane has certainly helped in his last couple of starts,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.

–Field Level Media

Chicago White Sox pitching has limited Cleveland Guardians catalysts Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez to 2-for-17 with three strikeouts through the first two games of a four-game weekend set.

While the host White Sox have just one victory to show for those efforts as the series continues Saturday afternoon, they figure executing the plan beats the alternative.

“We know those guys are outstanding players and they’re going to be a challenge for us,” Chicago manager Will Venable said on the White Sox team broadcast. “So we do our best and attack them the best we can and hope for good results.”

Cleveland and Chicago split a doubleheader on Friday. The White Sox rallied from a late deficit to win the nightcap 5-4 in 11 innings on Mike Tauchman’s infield single, which drove in Colson Montgomery.

Ramirez hit a two-run homer in Game 2 and has four homers in his past five games.

Guardians pitchers yielded just two hits in the opener while Cleveland hit three home runs. The decisive, two-run blast came off the bat of Carlos Santana, who’s in his third stint with the club and hopes to mirror his past as a clutch contributor after struggling for much of the first half of the season.

Santana endured an 0-for-15 stretch this month but said he feels he’s starting to turn things around.

“It’s a long season,” he said. “All of my career, I’ve finished strong. I’m a second-half player. I know the team needs me. … I try to prepare through the All-Star break now, keep working on my swing, work on my body. I don’t worry. Check my numbers in September. I’m confident.”

As for the White Sox, while his long-term future with the team is less certain given rumored trade talks, center fielder Luis Robert Jr. also is working through extended struggles.

Robert Jr., who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list (left hamstring strain) Tuesday, connected for a two-run home run in the opener Friday. His nine home runs are one behind team co-leaders Andrew Benintendi and Miguel Vargas.

“It’s just getting into the game rhythm,” Robert said. “It’s an adjustment. But I feel good, and when my body is asking me for more, I’ll go for more.”

Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (4-9, 4.35 ERA) is set to start Saturday against Sean Burke (4-8, 4.40) in a matchup of right-handers. Bibee has been ineffective in his first two July starts, going 0-1 with a 9.35 ERA. He took a no-decision at Houston on Monday, scattering four runs and four hits — including a pair of home runs — in 4 2/3 innings of Cleveland’s 7-5 victory.

Bibee is 1-0 with a 6.55 ERA in two career starts against the White Sox with eight strikeouts and five walks in 11 innings.

Burke will aim for his first victory against the Guardians in his third appearance and second start against them. He lost an April 9 start in Cleveland 3-2 after spacing three runs and three hits in three innings. That included a solo home run from Santana.

Burke took an 8-4 loss on Monday in a home start against the Toronto Blue Jays, yielding three home runs among his six runs and six hits in five innings.

Cleveland’s Angel Martinez has an extra-base hit in six straight games.

–Field Level Media

San Francisco Giants fans will get an opportunity to see Shohei Ohtani pitch at Oracle Park for the first time, albeit for the Los Angeles Dodgers, when the National League West rivals continue a three-game series Saturday afternoon.

Pitching took a back seat to some powerful hitting, including an Ohtani rocket into the San Francisco Bay, when the Giants ran out to a six-run lead and held on for an 8-7 win over the Dodgers in the series opener Friday night.

Serving as the designated hitter, Ohtani went 1-for-4 with his 32nd homer and a walk as the Dodgers lost their seventh straight game and the Giants won for the fifth time in their past six contests.

A two-way star in Japan and with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani was the subject of a massive recruiting effort by the Giants when he became a free agent after the 2023 season. He wound up signing with the Dodgers for a record-setting $700 million over 10 years, even though it was understood he would need to take 2024 off from pitching following elbow surgery.

The right-hander returned from a 22-month hiatus from pitching on June 16 with a one-inning start against the San Diego Padres. He has since thrown one inning again, then two innings twice, allowing just one run and four hits with six strikeouts.

Asked in a media gathering after his last start when he might get to three or more innings, Ohtani spouted the company line.

“In my rehab progression, it’s really important to just take one step at a time,” he said. “There are times when I may be able to go another inning, but it’s really important not to take unnecessary risks and make sure that I can progress consistently.”

Ohtani (0-0, 1.50 ERA) dominated the Giants in two career home starts with the Angels, allowing one run in six innings with nine strikeouts in an extra-inning loss in June 2021 and no earned runs over six innings with five strikeouts in a 4-1 win in August 2023. He’s 1-0 with an 0.75 ERA over those 12 innings against the Giants.

While the 31-year-old will make his first Oracle Park start, the Giants’ red-hot Willy Adames will seek his first career hit against Ohtani. They have gone head-to-head just twice, that showdown coming in a 2021 game between the Angels and Adames’ then-Tampa Bay Rays, with Ohtani recording a pair of strikeouts.

Adames, who is new to the Giants this season, contributed a triple, home run and three RBIs to Friday’s win in his first experience with one of baseball’s best rivalries.

“Man, that was electric,” he said during an on-field interview minutes after the final pitch. “That ninth inning (when the Dodgers got the potential tying run to second base), I was like, man, that feels like playoffs. Just the energy itself. I love playing those games. The fans showed up, and I love it.”

Tasked with trying to send the Dodgers to an eighth consecutive defeat will be Giants right-hander Landen Roupp (6-5, 3.39 ERA), who has been the club’s best pitcher over his past four starts, during which he’s gone 2-0 in four San Francisco wins. He’s allowed just three earned runs in 20 1/3 innings over that stretch.

The 26-year-old’s last defeat came June 14 in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, 11-5, when he was hit hard and gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings. Ohtani led off that game with a home run and later added another off Giants reliever Tristan Beck.

Roupp has pitched three times in his career against the Dodgers, twice in relief, compiling an 0-1 record and 12.79 ERA. In the loss on June 14, he pitched just 1 2/3 innings and gave up six runs on four hits and five walks.

–Field Level Media

The Baltimore Orioles are on a roll. Now it’s a matter of keeping it up.

They go into Saturday’s game against the visiting Miami Marlins on a three-game winning streak.

“I feel like there’s so much talent in this room and there’s so many good players that we’ve been waiting to kind of get the ball rolling, come together and rattle off good baseball,” Baltimore first baseman Ryan O’Hearn said. “It feels like how it should feel.”

The Orioles won 5-2 in Friday night’s series opener, marking the team’s sixth victory in its last seven games.

Baltimore has settled into a good groove under interim manager Tony Mansolino, though the climb into playoff contention in the American League remains a steep task. But the belief is certainly growing.

“I just think that as you get closer to .500, five games is the next step, it gets a little more real, it gets a little more obtainable,” Mansolino said. “It brings in a lot more belief.”

The recent surge has moved the Orioles to a 43-50 record, so there are step-by-step goals to make this feasible.

“We just have to focus on getting ourselves to .500, and from there, off this thing goes,” Mansolino said.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough is hoping Miami can generate more offense after hitting a rough patch this week. The Marlins didn’t score until the ninth inning Friday.

This series marks a homecoming for Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Connor Norby, who had hits off Baltimore starter Dean Kremer on Friday. Stowers was drafted by Baltimore and moved up through the Orioles organization all the way to the major leagues before he was dealt away in a trade.

He has expressed some of the emotions attached to this series.

“I keep going back to the people because those are the guys I came up with in the minor leagues, and some of my best friends in the world,” Stowers said of the Orioles.

Former Miami left-hander Trevor Rogers (2-0, 1.57 ERA) will be the starting pitcher for the Orioles. He was in his fifth season with the Marlins when he was traded last summer to Baltimore — for Stowers and Norby.

Of his 89 career appearances — all starts — 80 came with the Marlins, so this will be the first time he faces Miami.

Baltimore has won in four of Rogers’ five starts, including Sunday at Atlanta, when he held the Braves scoreless on four hits across 6 2/3 innings. This will mark just the second home outing of the year for Rogers, with the other resulting in eight shutout innings last month against the Texas Rangers.

Right-hander Janson Junk (3-1, 3.12) will make the start for the Marlins after back-to-back outings of six innings. He has won three of his last five outings, with his effort Monday at Cincinnati — one unearned run and one hit — perhaps his best of the season.

Junk has pitched in the major leagues for parts of five seasons, but this will be his first matchup with the Orioles.

–Field Level Media

Cody Bellinger spent the past two years rejuvenating his career with the Chicago Cubs. But the New York Yankees were nonetheless able to acquire him via trade rather easily this past offseason.

On Friday, Bellinger hit three homers against his old team, helping his new team win yet again.

Bellinger and the Yankees attempt to get a season-high sixth straight victory Saturday afternoon when they face the visiting Cubs.

The Yankees are on their third five-game winning streak this season after rolling to an 11-0 win in the series opener. Bellinger hit a trio of two-run homers against Chris Flexen, Caleb Thielbar and Jordan Wicks.

Bellinger, who played center field Friday, was acquired by the Yankees Dec. 17 for pitcher Cody Poteet after hitting .286 with 44 homers and 175 RBIs in 260 games in Chicago (following a difficult final two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers).

“Honestly, ultimately it was just fun to be out there,” Bellinger said. “I saw a bunch of guys I hadn’t seen in a while and I shared a bunch of good memories with them for these past two years.”

Bellinger heads into his final game before turning 30 on Sunday on a career-high 16-game hitting streak. Bellinger is batting .406 (28-for-69) with six homers and 16 RBIs during his hitting streak after also getting a 15-game streak in May.

Bellinger’s big night occurred a night after the Yankees were no-hit into the seventh inning and overcame a five-run deficit to earn a 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Judge in the 10th inning.

Judge lifted a sacrifice fly Friday and made four catches, including three in the fourth inning when he made a leaping catch on Pete Crow-Armstrong.

“He made nice plays,” Chicago right fielder Kyle Tucker said of Judge’s catches. “He was just doing his job out there and he did it pretty well tonight.”

The Cubs have dropped four of six following a 5-1 stretch. Chicago was blanked for the sixth time this season and fourth time since June 1.

The Cubs also matched their second-most runs allowed and Bellinger was the first player to get a three-homer game against them since Josh Rojas for the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 20, 2022.

“He’s having a nice year,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said of Bellinger. “We knew that going into the series. We didn’t make great pitches to him. So that’s what you’re doing if you don’t make good pitches to good hitters, they hurt you.”

After Carlos Rodon allowed four hits in eight innings for New York’s longest start since Gerrit Cole went nine innings in a 4-2 win in 10 innings over the Athletics last Sept. 20, Max Fried (11-2, 2.27 ERA) will get the start Saturday.

Fried last pitched Sunday when he allowed three runs on six hits in five-plus innings of a 6-4 win over the host New York Mets.

Fried is 6-0 with a 1.18 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs, who have hit .135 against him.

Chicago’s Matthew Boyd (9-3, 2.52) will attempt to reach double-digit victories for the first time in his career. Boyd is 4-0 with a 1.54 ERA over his past six starts since June 4 and has allowed two runs or fewer in eight straight starts.

Boyd picked up his latest win on Sunday when he allowed three hits in five innings of an 11-0 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The left-hander, who was named to the All-Star team, is 1-3 with a 5.17 ERA in six career starts against the Yankees.

–Field Level Media

The Minnesota Twins will try to make it three series victories in a row when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.

The Twins are coming off a 2-1 win over the Pirates in the series opener Friday night. They won two of three games against the Chicago Cubs in their previous series, and they won two of three games against the Tampa Bay Rays in the series before that.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli praised his players for their recent performances. He said the team’s pitching, defense and baserunning helped it win close games such as the one Friday, when Minnesota sneaked past Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates for a one-run win.

All of the Twins’ offense came in the fourth inning thanks to an infield single by Byron Buxton and a two-run blast by Trevor Larnach.

“When you get some opportunities, you really have to take advantage,” Baldelli said. “Beating out the double-play ball is so (Buxton). That’s the type of stuff that he does that almost nobody else in baseball can do. He finds a way to do that.”

Pirates right-hander Mike Burrows (1-2, 3.63 ERA) will try to find a way to spoil the Twins’ recent hot stretch. Burrows is coming off a sharp outing against the Seattle Mariners, but he drew a no-decision after limiting Seattle to three hits in five scoreless innings last Saturday.

This will be Burrows’ first career start against the Twins. He is 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in four career interleague games, including three starts.

The Twins have not announced a starting pitcher for Saturday.

Minnesota likely will be without veteran shortstop Carlos Correa, who sustained a mild right ankle sprain on Friday. Correa was injured while covering second base as Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham slid hard into his ankle.

Correa was walking without support after the game and said he felt OK. The Twins could play it safe by resting him this weekend ahead of the All-Star break.

The Pirates have lost seven games in a row after winning their previous six.

Skenes is trying to find reasons for optimism in what has been a turbulent season for the team. Skenes said he is feeling much better about his fastball as the All-Star break approaches.

“Just watching my progression through the season — as I look at March and April and into May, fastball command wasn’t outstanding,” Skenes said. “Effectively wild, almost.

“But the last few starts I’ve been really happy with it, just being able to pick lanes and get the ball where I want it to go. That makes pitching a lot easier when you have fastball command.”

Pittsburgh’s offense has done little to support Skenes and his teammates in the starting rotation. Including Friday’s one-run performance, Pittsburgh has scored a total of 10 runs during its seven-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, the Twins have scored 30 runs in their past seven games. They have climbed to two games below .500, and they have a chance to reach the .500 mark with a sweep this weekend.

–Field Level Media